California Cuisine

This salad is a refreshing choice for an elegant lunch on a summer day. Succulent crab, creamy cubes of avocado, salty olives, and sweet grape tomatoes are folded into a mixture of cool mayonnaise and bright red wine vinegar. Cayenne pepper and Spanish paprika add a touch of heat and depth to the mix. Mesclun greens tossed in a sunny Meyer lemon dressing make the crab salad’s bed. Sweet blue crabs are found in the waters of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Their silky texture and rich taste make them my crab of choice—no matter from where a dish’s inspiration may come.

A chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in the 1920s is said to have created this to honor George Arliss, an actor appearing there in a play entitled The Green Goddess. The dressing is made with an abundance of herbs and can be served with fish or shellfish as well as salads. Be sure to use fresh herbs: Dried just don’t deliver the same flavor. For this salad to look its best, place it in a bowl that’s twice the size of the greens so you’ll have plenty of room to toss.

I’ve developed two ways to make San Francisco–style sourdough bread using the overnight method. The “purist” method of making sourdough breads uses no commercial yeast and produces a flavor that’s tart, acidic, and complex. The mixed method uses instant yeast to produce a finished loaf more quickly; because of the reduced fermentation time, it yields less acidity and sourness. Both versions are excellent. To use the wild yeast starter, build and ripen your starter at least 1 day and not more than 3 days prior to making the final dough. Of course, if you don’t live in San Francisco, this won’t be true San Francisco sourdough bread because it won’t contain a large concentration of the microorganisms associated with the Bay Area, especially the famous Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis (these organisms do exist in sourdoughs everywhere, but not to the same extent as they do in and around San Francisco). However, this style of sourdough, made with all unbleached white bread flour, has become so closely associated with San Francisco that I call it San Francisco sourdough to distinguish it from the French pain au levain, which contains a small amount of whole grain flour. That said, any number of pain au levain variations can be made by simply substituting whole grain or other flours for some of the white flour.

At certain times of the year, parts of Northern California’s Sonoma County sprout masses of wild mushrooms, and at one time apple orchards covered many of the hills now blanketed with vineyards. Gone today are many of those venerable old trees, but remnants of some orchards remain, as does the heritage that inspired this savory slow-cooked meal.

The word cioppino means “fish stew” in the Ligurian dialect. Like all classic fishermen stews, the recipe isn’t written in stone. Traditionally, the contents of the dish depend on the catch of the day. At Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, you can count on crab being the main attraction; crab cioppino has been a favorite in the Bay Area for many years. The soup can cook all day if you so desire, but for best results the seafood should really be tossed in at the last minute. Serve it with crusty sourdough bread to sop up the juices.

Located in California’s San Joaquin Valley, the town of Gilroy is home to the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. As the artichoke is celebrated in Castroville, so is garlic in Gilroy. Although garlic soups can be found in many countries (made with chicken broth and red wine in southern France and with saffron and sherry in Spain, to name a couple), the following is a simple California recipe that I have enjoyed for years. This makes a great lunch, served with a crusty loaf of bread, a good red wine, and a salad.

Castroville, California (population 6,724 as of the 2000 census), is the self-proclaimed Artichoke Center of the World. About 75 percent of the state’s artichokes are grown there. In 1947, young Norma Jean Baker (later known as Marilyn Monroe) was crowned Castroville’s first “artichoke queen.” And as you might imagine, the local residents have invented a plethora of artichoke-based foods, this creamy soup not the least among them.

Cioppino, or fisherman’s stew, had its origins in San Francisco by way of Italy, but all Mediterranean countries have similar fish stews. Make this version your own with your favorite treats from the sea. Traditionally, this dish is not very soupy; for more broth, do not drain the can of tomatoes. I prefer to avoid precooked seafood for Glorious One-Pot Meals. If your frozen shrimp is pink, it’s precooked. While using precooked seafood certainly won’t ruin your meal (it’s difficult to fail with a Glorious One-Pot Meal!), raw seafood results in a stronger flavor and will be more tender after cooking.

From fruit to dairy, the farms of California yield so many fantastic ingredients. Two of my favorites are pebbly-skinned Hass avocados and Monterey Jack cheese. In fact, the two are somewhat similar in their mild taste and creamy consistency. To create a bit more contrast in flavor and texture, I nix simply sliced avocados in favor of a chunky avocado relish made with diced onion, bright leaves of cilantro, fresh lime juice, and a touch of spicy jalapeño.

You'll want crusty bread for sopping up this San Francisco fish stew.

Our lighter take on the Gilroy Garlic Fries at the San Francisco Giants' AT&T Park forgoes the deep fryer in favor of a hot oven.

Home turf: California
Local flavor: In health-conscious California, chili is as likely to be made without meat as it is with it. No self-respecting Texan would sign off on chili with beans, squash, and bulgur—but this lean, mean dish is as delicious as it is healthful.
Make it a meal: continue the Cali fantasy with whole grain bread, an arugula salad with mushrooms and garlicky vinaigrette, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (California, $8 per six-pack).

David makes these pickles to be enjoyed right after seasoning, while they are still vibrant and crunchy.

Fresh sardines are widely available in California, but can be more difficult to find in the rest of the country. If fresh sardines are not available in your area, you can make a terrific spread with canned sardines.

Use a mild (sweet) curry powder.

Think of it as an adult happy meal: This hearty bowl provides a healthy dose of mood-improving B vitamins.

Oltranti gives this dish a velvety finish with Franklin's Teleme, a soft, tangy cheese made in Northern California. If you can't find it, use a combination of mascarpone and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

This refreshing salad serves as a palate cleanser before dessert. Oltranti updates a traditional Italian-style salad dressing with the modern flavors of California cuisine: Floral Meyer lemon amplifies the acidity of red-wine vinegar in a bright shallot vinaigrette.